My Salvation
by LadySunsetScales
Summary: Sanji's life changed for the better the day he saw that mythical creature on the beach. He knew it was his destiny to help her, but he'd never guess she would come to help him even more. SanjiXAce, Genderbent Mermaid Ace(Anne), rated T for language and mentions of domestic violence. Yet another roleplay between me and my sister; enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

He had a cigarette lit before he'd even reached the beach. He wasn't sure when he'd begun smoking. It could probably be attributed to his older brother. He did, however, know exactly when he'd begun walking to the beach.

It was when the drinking started.

Sanji took a long drag and brushed his fingers over the bruise forming on his right eye. He wondered if it was worth it, thinking back on that night.

He was soon pulled out of his train of thought when he glimpsed an odd figure on the beach. Naturally, he felt the need to investigate and was soon consequently kneeling next to what looked like a dead body in the moonlight. He squinted in an attempt to help his eyes adjust better. Satisfied with the movement of breathing he caught from the figure, he began moving to wake it. However, something caught his eye and forced him to stop. What was that below their waist, glittering orange, black, and white with the reflection of the full moon? Sanji wondered if it was some kind of strange skirt, but that was beginning to look doubtful as his eyes adjusted further to the darkness.

"Hey..." he said, his voice hardly louder than a soft whisper at first as he reached out and shook them awake. "Hey, are you alright?"

The strange person groggily lifted their head and looked up at him. From what he could tell, it was a woman(and it wasn't that hard to draw such a conclusion, considering she wore nothing on her upper body). Her black hair was all over the place, and Sanji thought he could make out freckles on her cheeks.

"Hmm?" was all that she responded with.

Sanji's face burned. Try as he might, he couldn't force his gaze upward.

"I, uh...I...uh..."

He swallowed and managed to look her in the eyes. She seemed tired to him, and he wondered if he should go on questioning her or simply let her lay there on the sand.

"Are you hurt?" he finally asked. "I mean, what are you doing, laying out here on the beach at night?"

"I'm fine," she replied simply.

"Uh...here," he offered, pulling off his jacket. "Is there...a reason you aren't wearing any...um...shirt?"

As he spoke, he placed the jacket over her shoulders. His fingers brushed against her hair lightly, finding that it was soaked through. Was she swimming at this hour? Wasn't it too terribly cold for such activities? He wanted to ask her a lot of things, but decided to stay quiet until she answered the question about her lack of a top of some sort(a question he was starting to regret asking, in light of everything else).

Yet again, he found himself thinking about the scaly texture where her legs were supposedly located. His eyes strayed to it, and they were far more adjusted to the dim light at this time. If he didn't know any better, he'd conclude he was looking at a fish tail. Hope rose in his heart at the thought that he may have found something as magical and beautiful as a mermaid. Then again, he considered that perhaps he was being stupid.

"A shirt? What is that?" she asked him, looking strangely at his jacket.

"It's...uh..." he tried, looking for the right words as he buttoned the jacket around her. "It's clothing. Like...to cover you up. So that..."

Sanji stopped, letting out a strange sort of half laugh that bordered on frustration.

"How do you not know what a shirt is?"

"I've never heard of this 'shirt'."

She pushed his hands away about halfway through the buttoning process.

"That's enough."

Sanji paused.

"But...uh...I'm not...it's not buttoned completely."

She simply blinking at him.

"Does it need to be? It's already so uncomfortable."

"I...uh..."

Sanji examined his handiwork and reasoned that the important part was covered well enough.

"No. I guess not...but, why were you swimming around? It's late, and it's cold. Were you trying to get yourself sick?"

Sanji felt a sense of dread as he entertained the thought that this young lady might be suicidal.

She chuckled softly, a melodious sound that drew Sanji in.

"I've been swimming my whole life."

Sanji furrowed his brow.

"What, like...you just decide to go swimming out in the cold, and you never get sick or anything?"

This girl was getting stranger by the minute, he thought as he discarded his cigarette and smushed it into the ground.

"No, silly, didn't you see my tail?" she asked, regarding the forgotten cigarette with vague interest.

Sanji, dumbfounded, lit another cigarette.

"Thought I was seeing things," he replied dumbly. "I mean...I...I didn't think that mermaids were...y'know, real."

Now faced with the truth, Sanji felt somehow smaller, more meaningless in her presence. He wondered if she was playing a joke on him, trying to make him feel that way. However, the girl only shrugged.

"I didn't think humans were real."

"Really? I never thought of it that way. I mean, uh, I thought, you know, if mermaids existed that they were just hiding from us. That's what a lot of people think."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah..." he relied.

The theory sounded stupid, being explained to an actual mermaid.

"Can you...can you, like, grow legs or anything? Start walking?"

Wait a minute.

"No, you probably want to go back home, don't you?"

"No," she replied hastily.

"No...?" he repeated, furrowing his brow. "Why not?"

"Let's not get into detail."

"Did you do something wrong?"

"No..."

"...Okay. Does that mean you're staying a while?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

Hesitantly, he stood, offering her his hand to help her up. He wondered how it would work, her sprouting legs or what have you, so he watched her expectantly. She stared at him a moment, then looked around before taking his hand.

"You...aren't going to grow legs?"

"Grow what?"

"Legs. You know..."

Sanji used his free hand to point out his own.

"These things I'm walking around on."

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"Well..."

Sanji thought a moment.

"I guess I'll just carry you to a friend's house for tonight and figure out what to do in the morning."

He dropped her hand and, after a moment of wondering where his hands should go, finally figured out how to lift her up.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Yeah. No problem...uh, I didn't get your name."

"I'm Anne, and you?"

"I'm Sanji. It's a pleasure to meet you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jesus, Sanji," Nami sighed upon opening the door, ignoring Anne for the moment. "You should've come here sooner."

"Wasn't just going to r - "

"What the hell is this?"

She'd taken note of the mermaid.

"This is Anne."

Sanji smiled.

"She has...she's...I...Sanji, you'd better get in here and explain just what kind of night you've been having."

So, entering the house properly and setting Anne down carefully on the couch, Sanji explained literally everything to Nami, from the first signs of trouble to meeting Anne on the beach.

"Jesus, Sanji," the redhead repeated incredulously, shaking her head.

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once," Sanji admitted tiredly, "but we both need a place to stay. I know you said I was always welcome, but I need to know if Anne can stay."

Nami hesitated.

"Sure," she sighed, resigned. "I don't care. I mean, who else'll house a mermaid without any questions?"

She laughed a little as she stood.

"Question is, Anne, where do you want to sleep? Where do you think you'll be comfortable?"

Anne patted the couch she was sitting on.

"I like this thing," she stated simply.

"Kay. I'll get you guys some blankets and...Anne, do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?"

Nami indicated the jacket she had on.

"You mean I can take this off?" Anne asked, positioning her hands to unbutton it.

"Yeah," Nami replied before hastily adding, "but you should probably wear something so Sanji over here doesn't ogle you all night."

"You mean another sh - um...thing?"

"Why? What's wrong with putting a shirt on?"

"She says it's uncomfortable," Sanji explained, "but I'm not sure why."

"It's crushing my dorsal fin."

Nami blinked.

"Okay, I'll be right back," she announced before disappearing into her room.

She came back holding a nightgown that she'd cut into in the back.

"Try this," she offered, handing the doctored garment to her.

"Thanks."

Anne, having no concept of nudity being a taboo, just changed clothes right there.

"Better?" Nami asked awkwardly, shooting Sanji a meaningful glare(she'd caught him staring).

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, my parents are out on vacation for, like, three more weeks or something. So, stay as long as you need to. I mean it, Sanji."

Sanji grinned sheepishly and shrugged. Nami sighed.

"Oh, Anne, my name's Nami. If you need something, wake up Sanji and tell him to get me. Anyway, I'm going to bed. Make yourselves at home. Sanji, make Anne some tea or something and resist harassing her."

As she spoke, she grabbed blankets from the hall closet and tossed them to the visitors.

"Night."

"Night, Nami," Sanji replied as he went into the kitchen to make Anne some tea.

"Night," Anne chirped.

"How much sugar do you want in your tea?"

"Um...any amount will do...?"

"I'll give you three spoons," he decided.

In a few more minutes, Sanji was coming back with a cupfull of tea. He finished stirring it and handed it to her.

"Drink slowly," he advised. "It's really hot. I used chamomile, so it'll make you sleepy."

"Thank you."

Anne looked at the tea before cautiously sipping it.

"...This is wonderful," she told him, seeming a little surprised.

He grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you like it! Maybe I can cook for you tomorrow. I know how to make lots of things, not just tea."

As he spoke, he borrowed one of the blankets from the couch and lay it on the floor for himself.

"What kind of stuff do you eat in the ocean?" he asked curiously. "Just fish?"

It was probably a silly question, but Sanji wanted to know everything about this world that humanity had managed to overlook.

"Yeah, most of the time. What about you?" she asked him, drinking more tea.

"A lot of things," he chuckled, sounding a little nervous. "I can show you tomorrow."

Anne finished her tea very quickly, giving the teacup a quizzical look afterward.

"What do I do with this thing? Is it edible?"

"Oh, no," Sanji replied, taking it. "I'll just...take that to the kitchen."

About a minute later, he came back and lay in the floor, rolling himself into the blanket.

"Now, just let the chamomile do its thing. Good-night, Anne."


End file.
